I am grateful for the opportunity to debate once again the on-going cost of living crisis. I support the amendment in the name of Miles Briggs.

The motion talks about the challenges that many people are facing, including higher mortgage repayments, as well as challenges in relation to social rented properties, first-time buyers and home support funds. It also points out, quite rightly, that the Scottish Government should be using every lever and power at its disposal to help people through many of those challenges. Along with my Conservative colleagues, I have been clear that the cost of living crisis must be tackled from all directions and is a responsibility for all levels of government.

Last week, the UK Government set out its plans for how it will continue to support people through the crisis. I am sure that members on all sides of the chamber agree that countries around the world are facing significant challenges in the current economic climate and are having to take difficult decisions as a result. In spite of those challenges, last week’s autumn statement showed us that the UK Government is continuing to do what it can to provide further support.

As my party’s—

Of course.

NHS Forth Valley moving into level 4 is a damning indictment of the board, which is required to ensure that facilities across NHS Forth Valley are safe and fit for purpose.

In his statement, the cabinet secretary said that he will ensure that leadership operate in an effective and inclusive manner, particularly when understanding and managing performance issues. Numerous whistleblowers have contacted me to express concern that they are not being listened to by management and are experiencing workplace bullying and poor working conditions. They complain of a toxic environment. How will the cabinet secretary address whistleblowers’ concerns and ensure that that toxic culture is stamped out, once and for all?

I congratulate my colleague Pam Gosal on securing this members’ business debate.

Every year, we mark the start of 16 days of activism against violence against women and girls. This year, the campaign theme is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, to ensure that girls and women are supported. It will also promote the leadership of women and girls, to increase their participation in democracy around the world. Initiatives along the lines of the ask her to stand campaign have a role to play in that promotion. However, it is clear that much more needs to be done to increase the number of women in positions of power.

There are many risk factors associated with violence against women, including poverty and isolation, which have been exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sadly, women are already reporting significant increases in violence against them in countries around the world.

The sad truth is that Scotland has not been immune from the effects of the pandemic in that regard. We know that domestic abuse charges are at a five-year high. Alarmingly, organisations such as Scottish Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland have reported huge increases in demand for their front-line services. Funding is crucial, and given the need at present, as we go through the cost of living crisis, more and more people will be requiring support.

Projects in my region such as Fife Women’s Aid and the Kingdom Abuse Survivors Project have received funding in the past but will require more to maintain and sustain their services. I look forward to hearing assurances from the minister that that funding will be made available in the coming months and years. Many such organisations will say that the effects of the pandemic are being felt across the sector.

We also know that there is a court backlog of thousands of domestic violence cases, of which a high percentage involve allegations of sexual violence. Currently, some victims are waiting up to three years between reporting their abuse and seeing their case come to court. Scottish Women’s Aid has warned that that risks undermining women’s confidence in our justice system. We cannot allow that to happen. Women should not be fearful of the length of time that cases will take. I hope that I am wrong in thinking that that situation will continue, but I fear that I will be right about that unless urgent action is taken to tackle the backlog.

Violence against women is not just an issue for Scotland; it is a global one. For me, it is also a personal one. My mother was subjected to violence from my father for many years, which I witnessed as a young child. She accepted the abuse for years and blamed herself, before she had the courage to take her three small children out of the situation and became a statistic herself. However, many women and girls do not have the courage to leave their abusive partner, and much more needs to be done to support them to have the courage to leave an abusive relationship.

Few issues are more deserving of parliamentary time than the topic of this evening’s debate. I regret the fact that the debate has to take place at all, but it must, because we need to speak up, and we must ensure that voices are heard and that people sit up and listen.

I pay tribute to Pam Gosal for the work that she is doing on her member’s bill, and I hope that that will have the success that it deserves. It is only through society acting as a whole that we can finally eliminate such violence and ensure that women can live without fear, wherever they find themselves.

As we have already heard today, inflation is an international issue, and inflation in other parts of Europe and across the world is higher than it is here, in the United Kingdom.

As I said, I am sure that we all agree that we are facing significant challenges and have decisions to make. The autumn statement showed that the UK Government is managing matters as we go forward.

As my party’s spokesman for older people, I echo comments made by Age Scotland that there is much to welcome in the autumn statement. The pensions triple lock will bring much-needed security to households. People rely on state pension income, and the further cost of living payments to all pensioner households will also provide key support.

It should also be welcomed that the energy price guarantee has now been extended to April 2024. Although the price of energy over the coming years remains somewhat uncertain, current estimates predict that extending the support will cost to the tune of around £12 billion. Such universal support is closely monitored, and we will have to see what happens as we move forward. As the economic situation continues to develop, it will be important for the UK Government to keep an eye on that support and keep it under review, and I look forward to ensuring that that is the case.

I have already made clear that the SNP Government should also be using every power at its disposal to ensure that people receive support. It is welcome that the Scottish child payment finally includes all eligible children up to the age 16 at the new higher rate of £25 per week. That payment will be a great support to many families over the coming months, which is why it was supported by all parties in the chamber.

However, it is clear that more can still be done on the part of the Scottish Government. A further cost of living support fund for the most vulnerable families could be a great help to many over the winter. It could, no doubt, be funded in part by the £20 million that is earmarked for an independence referendum.

It is clear that the solution to this on-going crisis will be one that sees both Scotland’s Governments working together—and they need to work together. The Scottish Government has no shortage of powers to lean on, and, as we have heard today, there is no shortage of ideas when it comes to ensuring that individuals are supported. People across Scotland expect those powers to be used to tackle the issues that really matter to them, and it is high time that their expectations became a reality.

The First Minister will be aware of the difficulties that are being faced by Forth Valley hospital, with five consultants leaving in the space of two weeks and the facility being described as a “war zone” and a “toxic” environment. The health board says that any concerns raised by clinical or other staff groups are taken seriously and that there is no attempt to cover up, but the reality is that I continue to have to make representations to the board as further whistleblowers come forward seeking assistance. They are saying that the culture within the hospital regarding bullying continues and that there is no meaningful change by the senior management. That is, frankly, a shocking situation to occur in any hospital, so what action can be put in place to ensure that the facility is safe and fit for purpose?

I thank the witnesses for their evidence so far. You have touched on underreporting and said that the victim is the most important person. When Nicola Murray gave evidence, she spoke about the difficulties in reporting in relation to the co-operation that is required between the police and the individual who has been abused. She also talked about the knock-on effects. We know that Police Scotland has looked at domestic abuse and views tackling it as a priority, but she explained that more training and more support are required. She felt that the police were not able to deal with coercive behaviour as well as they should. When someone who has been abused tries to progress their case, they have to go to the first authority—the police—before there are court proceedings, and she, as a victim, identified a gap in that regard. As I said, Police Scotland has a role in managing such situations and supporting victims. As Mr Tidy knows, the victim is the most important person—we acknowledge that—but that might not always be the case when it comes to how they are managed and processed by the authorities that are there to protect and support them. It would be useful to hear the witnesses’ views on that.

You have summarised where we are with the petition, which as you have said has been going for some time now. However, in light of the petitioners’ concerns, we should write to the Scottish Government and seek information on what impact the capital spending review will have on the funding of the A83 Rest and Be Thankful project and whether the slowdown in funding for the road improvement project is likely to have an impact on the seven to 10-year timescale for the solution for the route to be put in place.

The community still wants a public inquiry to investigate the financial management of the project and to seek a permanent solution for the route, but that is a bigger issue for us to deal with at this stage.

Those are my recommendations, but I am open to other members’ views on the topic.

We should write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to seek an update on the development of the next BSL plan and explore how BSL national qualifications could be developed. In writing to the cabinet secretary, the committee might wish to highlight the development of general certificates of secondary education in BSL in other parts of the United Kingdom; ask what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that schools have the opportunity to teach BSL from primary 1 to higher and advanced higher levels; and seek information on what further considerations the Scottish Government has given to affording BSL qualifications that are equivalent with other spoken languages as part of the uptake of BSL qualifications.

I am delighted that we have had such a robust outcome so far, but it is important that we now seek further information. We should write to the Minister for Transport to find out about the process for appointments to the board of David MacBrayne Group and what work is being done to encourage candidates from communities. We can also ask for an update on the communities’ communication with ministers and with Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd with regard to the proposals that the petition sets out.